Selected Accounts of the Early Attempts to Explore the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia Originally presented by William Barraclough on March 20, 1957; recorded August 2, 1969 Transcribed by Dalys Barney, Vancouver Island University Library, on March 18, 2020 Selected accounts of the early attempts to explore the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Straits of Georgia to the mouths of Winthuysen, or Nanaimo area, read before Nanaimo Historical Society, March 20, 1957. The name itself, Juan de Fuca, perpetuates the name of the Greek sailor, Apóstolos Valeriános, Juan de Fuca, who claimed to have discovered and sailed for some days into the straits in the year 1592. That was only 14 years after the celebrated English navigator, Sir Francis Drake, sailed along these parts of the coast in the Golden Hind in the year 1578. Many Spanish, British, and American explorers in the years that followed failed to locate the reported straits. In the days of sail, storms, fog, and uncharted shoals kept seafaring men well out to sea. Chances of striking a reef could not be taken. Among the early explorers who sailed past the straits were: Captain Juan Pérez, commander of the Spanish corvette Santiago in 1774; Don Juan Quadra, the greatest of the Spaniards, first came in 1775, in the sloop Sonora, a vessel only 36 feet long; Captain James Cook in 1778, in the Resolution, with Vancouver aboard as midshipman, 25 years of age; two Americans - John Kendrick, captain of the Columbia, and Captain Robert Gray in the sloop Lady Washington in the year 1787. Russian, and Chinese traders too, are reported to have sailed along these parts in that century. It was not until the year 1787 that official recognition of the Straits of Juan de Fuca was made by Captain Charles W. Barkley in the British trading ship Imperial Eagle. Special mention is made here of that gallant, young captain, who at the age of 25 was not only a [pioneer] trader, but a first class explorer and navigator. Barkley charted and named many landmarks of our west coast, histories that appeared to have given too little credit to this great man, whose name is perpetuated with Barkley Sound. Possibly, he may have been overshadowed by the professional explorers who had been commissioned and outfitted by their various governments. Before moving on to the exploration of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, I would like to quote a few passages taken from Captain Walbran's book, Place Names of British Columbia, wherein he states, Mrs. Barkley's diary has been preserved. It is an important source of information. "The Imperial Eagle sailed from the Thames in August 1786 for Ostend, where he hoisted the Austrian colours. Here Captain Barkley met and married Miss Frances Hornby Trevor, then 17 years of age. Mrs. Barkley, who accompanied her husband, was the first white woman to visit the Northwest Coast. The Imperial Eagle arrived at Nootka Sound in June 1787, where he loaded on 800 sea otter skins, which he sold in China for $30,000." On leaving Nootka, Barkley headed south for some reason and entered the name Barkley Sound on his chart. Frances and Hornby Peaks on the west coast of Vancouver Island were named after his wife. Cape Beale he named after the purser of the Imperial Eagle. He also named other points and islands. Continuing his voyage southeasterly, Barkley made the great discovery, as before mentioned, of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. And quoting from Mrs. Barkley's diary, as recorded by Captain Walbran, quote: "A large opening extending to the eastwards, the entrance of which appeared to be about four leagues wide, and remaining about that width as far as the eye could see. With a clear easterly horizon, which my husband immediately recognized as the Straits of Juan de Fuca. And to which we gave the name of the original discoverer, my husband placing it on his chart." End of quote. Shortly after discovery of the straits, a tragic accident befell a boat’s crew of the Imperial Eagle, all of whom were killed by the natives near to what was named Martyr’s Point by the Spaniards to commemorate a similar occurrence that befell one of their boat’s crew at an earlier date. In 1792, Barkley and his wife again called at Nootka in the brig Halcyon, this in itself is a great story. The brig Halcyon was stolen and recovered by Barkley several years later at Boston. After Barkley's rediscovery of the Straits of Juan de Fuca in 1787, increasing numbers of ships under many flags plied along the coast. Nootka on Friendly Cove became an important port of call. Most of the traders came and went by way of China. It would appear there was not enough furs for traders south of Nootka to attract them. And those explorers and navigators, sponsored by their various nations, appeared to have avoided the straits. Three years elapsed after Barkley's sighting before an organized attempt was made to explore and survey the straits. The American historian, Edmond S. Meany, in his book, Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, quotes from a Spanish document by Lieutenant Francisco Eliza, that in 1790, Ensign Manuel Quimper, under Eliza's command explored the south coast of the straits to a place he named, for short, Port Quadra, which Vancouver later named Port Discovery. It must be remembered, Vancouver had no idea the Spaniards had twice preceded him. Lieutenant Francisco Eliza headed a second expedition to explore and chart the waterways in 1791, in the ship San Carlos. He sailed this time further north amongst the islands and bestowed the name, for short, Gran Canal on the straits, which was later named by Vancouver as the Straits of Georgia. Eliza named several islands and places on this journey, and upon reaching what is now the Nanaimo area, he named it Winthuysen after a Spanish rear-admiral. The furthest point reached by this expedition was by José Narváez in the schooner Saturnina who discovered Faveda, it is also shown on Eliza's chart, but is now known as Texada Island. 8:05 It will be noted, in both the Spanish expeditions, they followed the middle course of the straits, paying little attention to surveying the mainland coast and the east side of Vancouver Island, except the Nanaimo area. Captain George Vancouver, of His Majesty's ship Discovery, entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Sunday, April 29, 1792, to commence the first comprehensive survey of the obscure waterways. He was accompanied by the armed tender Chatham, under Commander William Broughton. While Vancouver's expedition was conducting the laborious survey of the great inland sea of Puget Sound, named after Vancouver's second mate, Lieutenant Peter Puget, two small Spanish vessels entered the straits on May 4th. They were a detachment from the commission of Señor Malaspina, who at that time was at the Philippine Islands. They were the brig, Sutil, under command of Señor Don Galiano, and the schooner, Mexicana, under Señor Don Valdes, both of the Spanish navy. They were following the course set the year previously by Lieutenant Francisco Eliza, northwesterly amongst the Gulf Islands. Note: Malaspina himself did not sail along these waterways. Vancouver and his men after 56 days of laborious work had surveyed and named every important inlet, point, island, waterways, and anchorage from the entrance of Juan de Fuca Straits, around Puget Sound, and the islands in that area, thence followed the continental shore northwards, to Jervis Inlet, Howe Sound, Point Grey, and Burrard Inlet. It was while returning from Jervis Inlet, in a small boat that Vancouver first sighted the two small vessels off Point Grey. Vancouver's feelings can be appreciated by the following entry in his journal, for June 22, 1792, quote: "I cannot avoid acknowledging that on this occasion, I experienced no small degree of mortification, in finding that the external shores of the gulf had been visited and already examined a few miles beyond where my researches during the excursion had extended." Here are the dimensions of the two small Spanish ships, Sutil and the Mexicana: the Spanish vessels were both of 45 tons; keel - 46 feet, 10 inches; length overall - 50 feet, 3 inches; beam - 13 feet, 10; the aft hold - 6 feet, 2 inches; fore hold - 5 feet, 8 inches; and the armaments consisted of one three pounder, four falcons, 18 muskets, 24 pistols, and 18 sabres, each ship having 17 men aboard. Compare those measurements with Vancouver's ships: the Discovery, a sloop of war, was 340 tons, with a complement of 100 men, and the Chatham, with 135 tons, and a crew of 45. On this historic occasion, the officers and men of both parties gave a genuine welcome to each other, as stated in their journals. I will quote here from Vancouver's journals: "Their conduct was replete with the politeness and friendship which characterizes the Spanish nation. Having partaken with them a very hearty breakfast, bid them farewell, not less pleased with their hospitality and attention than astonished at the vessels in which they were employed to execute a service of such a nature. They were each about 45 tons burthen, mounted two brass guns, and were navigated by 24 men, bearing one lieutenant, without a single inferior officer. Their apartments just allowed room for sleeping places on each side, with a table in the immediate space at which four persons with some difficulty could sit, and were in all other respects, the most ill calculated, unfit vessels that could possibly be imagined for such an expedition.